SEC players and coaches will be required to wear face coverings on the sidelines
The SEC is mandating the usage of face coverings on the sidelines during football games this fall.
The conference released its medical protocols on Friday and said that “in football, volleyball and soccer, all coaches, staff and non-competing personnel will be required to wear face coverings on the sideline and physical distancing will be employed to the extent possible.” That means coaches will be wearing face coverings at all times and players who are not on the field will also have to wear a covering or a mask.
The usage of masks on the sidelines was first recommended by the NCAA earlier this summer when the governing body released a list of guidelines and recommendations for fall sports during the coronavirus pandemic. The mask requirement by the SEC comes after the conference said that its teams won’t start play until Sept. 26 and will play a 10-game conference-only schedule.
The conference has not announced what each team’s schedule will be. The SEC normally has its teams play an eight-game schedule, so each team will play an additional two opponents from the opposite division. The conference needed to figure out how to assign those matchups.
Testing at least twice a week
Consistent with other conferences, the SEC will test players and staffers at least twice a week.
“In the sport of football, student-athletes and others in direct contact with the program will receive a PCR surveillance test at least twice weekly during competition, typically six days and three days prior to competition,” the conference said. “The Task Force recommends exploring alternative testing methods that will accommodate a third test, in addition to the two required PCR tests, that will provide for the reliability and rapid response necessary for diagnostic testing in a timeframe closer to competition.”
Testing will be centralized through a third party. That’s the same as the Big Ten, which announced its protocols on Wednesday. The Big Ten said that it would be testing players a minimum of twice a week and that testing would also be centralized through a third party.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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